Lori Schleinkofer

Taking courses in an online environment was a must for Lori Schleinkofer. She resides in Ambler, Pa. with her husband and two young daughters and needed the flexibility of online courses so she could fit her degree into her busy schedule and achieve a healthy work-life balance. She was also preparing for a career change, transitioning from finance to education.

“Without [the School of Education’s online program], I would not have been able to complete my master’s degree,” Schleinkofer says.

After Schleinkofer graduated from what was the M.S. in Sceince of Instruction (now the M.S. in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum: Teacher Certification program) in December 2012, she began working as a math and computer science teacher for the Philadelphia School District at Benjamin Franklin High School, located in the city’s Spring Garden section. She really enjoyed teaching Algebra I classes to ESL students, and found teaching computer classes very fulfilling.

Schleinkofer describes her experience in the School of Education as an “opportunity to learn from a wonderful team of teachers.”

In her courses, she learned how to complete a comprehensive lesson plan; to reflect on lessons and consider how to improve them; about the four pillars of successful teaching; and about the history of unions and education in the U.S. Schleinkofer also learned new technological skills that she can employ in her classroom.

She names lively, active online discussion boards as her favorite part of her courses.

As for Schleinkofer’s career path after earning a graduate degree, she says she plans to continue to teach math and computer science. Ultimately, she hopes to pursue a doctoral degree so that she can teach at a college or enter high school administration.

“Without Drexel, I would not have had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of working with Philadelphia’s youth and helping them to realize their potential,” Schleinkofer says.